July 24, 2018 ARKVILLE, NY —  Catskill Center’s Platte Clove Preserve has become the 18th site on the Hudson River School Art Trail.

208 acres of pristine wilderness – Platte Clove Preserve is open to the public for quiet enjoyment – with beautiful waterfalls and trails at the head of the rugged and scenic Platte Clove in the Town of Hunter in Greene County.

The site reveals the same view depicted in 19th-Century Hudson River School paintings by renowned artist Asher B. Durand. The Hudson River School Art Trail was first launched in 2005 by the Thomas Cole National Historic Site with seven stops on the trail. This year’s expansion was prepared for New York State Water Resources Institute and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program, with support from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund. 

A ribbon-cutting ceremony formally unveiled the stunning site and magnificent view, the interpretive panel that accompanies it, and the bronze medallion by Catskill-based artist Patti Ferrara that officially designates the site. Participating in the ceremony on July 18 were the following:
 

• The Hon. Chris Tague, Member of the New York State Assembly;
• The Hon. Aidan O’Connor Jr., Member of the Greene County Legislature;
• The Hon. David Kukle, Member of the Hunter Town Board and Catskill Center Board Member;
• Fran Dunwell, Hudson River Estuary Coordinator for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation;
• Patti Ferrara, the artist who has created the artwork for the bronze medallions on the Art Trail;
• Jeff Senterman, Executive Director, Catskill Center;
• Elizabeth Jacks, Executive Director, Thomas Cole National Historic Site.

The Hudson River School Art Trail makes accessible through free online maps and educational materials many of the views that inspired Thomas Cole – founder of the Hudson River School of painting, America’s first major art movement – his legendary student Frederic Church, and other artists of the Hudson River School such as Asher B. Durand. The Art Trail is a collaborative project across multiple organizations that was established in 2005 to facilitate a connection between the landscapes that inspired Hudson River School artists and contemporary audiences. The Art Trail is presented by the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in partnership with Olana State Historic Site, The Olana Partnership, the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, the National Park Service Rivers & Trails program, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York State Parks, and the Greene County Tourism & Planning Department.
 
For additional information on this new site and the Art Trail, visit www.hudsonriverschool.org.

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